


Sweet Caroline

by winterisakiller (sparkinside)



Series: Tom & Caroline [1]
Category: British Actor RPF, Tom Hiddleston - Fandom
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Realistic Fluff, Tom is a rambling sweetheart, proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:13:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25959610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparkinside/pseuds/winterisakiller
Summary: Everything was perfect. Everything had to be perfect. Tom wouldn’t accept anything else. Not tonight. Not when he was about to ask the question that would change their lives.
Relationships: Tom Hiddleston/Caroline Grey (OFC), Tom Hiddleston/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Tom & Caroline [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1904869
Comments: 5
Kudos: 22





	Sweet Caroline

[ ](https://ibb.co/ZWmkbmK)

Everything was perfect. Everything _had_ to be perfect. Tom ran a shaking hand through his now unruly hair as he allowed his eyes to roam over the scene before him. The roast was resting on top of the stove and the salad was plated and set on the freshly pressed light blue table cloth. Rolls were left warming in the oven and the mashed potatoes were ready to be moved into the light green ceramic serving bowl. Once the food was in place, all he had to do was light the candles and pull the bottle of wine from the fridge where it had been chilling for the last two hours and everything would be perfect. He hoped.

It had taken him all day, and several increasingly frantic phone calls to both his mother and elder sister, but he’d just about pulled it off. Tom wanted to laugh at the sheer audacity of it all. Just a few more hours and then maybe, _hopefully_ , he’d actually done it.

Tom glanced at the watch on his left wrist and let out a quiet, anxious sigh. He had twenty minutes to shower and change before Caroline was set to arrive. She’d been working ungodly hours over the past month, and that coupled with his being away filming in Sweden, he’d not seen her in properly weeks. They had made due with Skyping and phone calls (which were spotty at best, as the reception in the hotel Tom was staying at was unreliable) but it wasn’t easy for either of them.

As far as Caroline knew, he was supposed to be flying home three days from now, but he’d worked his ass off the las week in order to be cleared from set the evening before. The nervous energy bubble from what he’d planned had very nearly derailed him, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d fumbled so many lines or forgot his mark. Frankly, Tom suspected the crew were just thrilled to be rid of him. It honestly didn’t matter as long as he was able to get home. He’d spent most of the night packing his scattered belongings and hastily searching for and booking his flight home (ungodly expensive and with more layovers than he’d liked, but it got him to London in the end and that was all that mattered.

When the plane had touched down at Heathrow that morning, Tom was exhausted but grateful. He’d crashed almost as soon as he’d made it through the front door of his flat, ignoring the steady pile of post that had collected on his side table. He woke two hours later, tired but rested enough to do what he needed for the night. Nerves and an ungodly amount of caffeine did wonders for his energy levels (even if he crashed again later and he was sure he would).

After a quick run to the shops, Tom had settled headlong into preparing. He called Caroline midday, as had been his habit the last few weeks, and asked if she would mind stopping by his flat that evening, to make sure things were set up for his return. She’d agreed readily enough, sighing and once again lamenting at the still several days she’d have to wait to see him again. Tom felt a small, lingering guilt at his subterfuge, but the look on her face when she walked in and saw him standing there would be worth it.

He took the stairs two at a time, toeing off his socks and stripping as he entered his bedroom. He tossed his clothing in the vague direction of the hamper and padded into the small bathroom. A few minutes more and Tom had the shower set to his liking; he quickly climbed in and let himself relax beneath the spray. The heat of the shower felt wonderful as it battered against the tense muscles of his shoulders. He washed his hair and scrubbed his body with quick, business-like efficiency, but allowed himself this small indulgence for just a few minutes more before climbing out and drying off. He scrubbed his towel over his hair as he padded from the bathroom back into his bedroom and dressed quickly in the dark trousers and white button-down he’d left on the bed. Shrugging into the matching suit jacket as he continued to briskly dry his hair, Tom jogged out into the hall and back down the stairs towards the kitchen.

He felt his heart jump in his throat at as he glanced at the clock above the stove. Five minutes, give or take. “Shit!” He tossed the towel in the vague direction of the washing machine and scrambled to finish the last few details; making sure the table setting was perfect, lighting candles, making sure the food was ready, pulling the wine from the fridge, and finally hooking his battered iPod to the speaker system and cueing up the playlist he’d made especially for this night. A mix of songs they’d danced to night after night, songs that made him think of her.

At ten after seven he heard keys turning in the lock of the flat’s front door. Taking a deep breath, Tom smoothed his hands over the fabric of his trousers and waited. He heard her footsteps falter as she pushed the door open.

“Hello?”

There was a definite note of fear in her voice and who could blame her? Dimmed lighting, soft music, and the smell of a roast dinner was certainly the last thing she would have expected upon arriving. Shit, maybe he hadn’t thought this through enough.

He watched her blue eyes widen as they took in the candlelit room, the meal laid out on the small dining table, and finally settle on his form standing behind it all. His eyes took her in as well; her dark hair was piled elegantly atop her head, the dress she’d chosen was a lovely dark green linen (oh how he loved that color on her). He watched as her bag slipped from her shoulder and landed on the carpet by her feet with a soft thud. “Hello darling.”

She let out a soft squeal of joy before launching herself at him. She was across the room and in his arms before he could blink. Tom allowed his eyes to close as he breathed in the soft floral scent of her hair and soaked in the warmth of her body against his. God, how he’d missed her.

“You’re home,” Caroline breathed into his chest. “You’re really home.”

“I am.” He kissed the top of her head, “And I am so very happy to be here.”

Caroline pulled back and hit him lightly on the chest with an opened hand. “You lied to me this afternoon,” she admonished, pushing him again. “Had me thinking you were far away.” The stern, annoyed expression on her face was belied by the happiness shining in her eyes. “And then scaring me half to death thinking someone had broken into your flat.”

Tom grinned sheepishly and shrugged. “But admit it, it’s a good surprise…”

Her stern expression held for a beat more before she laughed softly and nodded. “Yes, Tom. Good surprise.” She smiled up at him and laughed harder as he pulled her back against his body, kissing her soundly. They stood, swaying slightly in place, for several minutes before Caroline pulled back once more. “So to what do I owe the honor of this surprise candlelit dinner?”

“Can’t I just spoil my best girl?” Tom dissolved into laughter as Caroline quirked an eyebrow.

“Thomas…”

“Let’s eat before this all goes cold.” He gestured back towards the table behind him. Caroline sighed then nodded, allowing Tom to lead her to one of the cushioned dining chairs. She laughed once more when he made a grand gesture out of pulling her chair out for her.

“My hero.”

They ate in companionable silence, talking quietly about his recently filming and the craziness her law office had become over the last several weeks. It was wonderful, just being able to share a meal with her again, to be able to talk with her face to face. They’d known long distance relationships were difficult and they’d handled the challenges of it far better than he feared they would. His career was steadily moving, constantly taking him away from home for longer and longer periods of time. And if he had any hope of making it work in the long term, that wouldn’t be changing anytime soon. Caroline supported him, with a quiet and steady grace, standing beside him cheering him even when they were hundreds of miles apart. It took its toll, how could it not? Tom could see the strain of it in the corners of her eyes, in the soft down turn of her lips on a trying day. She’d tried to hide it, but he’d seen in nonetheless.

He’d made a point to talk with her about it, about them and what they both wanted, what they both needed. He loved her more than he had ever thought he could love anyone but he wouldn’t let that hold her back, not if it caused her unnecessary pain. Tom would do anything, endure anything, to spare her pain if he could. But she was stubborn to a fault, his Caroline. Yes, it was difficult, she agreed and yes, sometimes, it would be easier if he held a local job with banker’s hours, but then he wouldn’t be her Tom. He wouldn’t be the smart, funny, engaging man she’d fallen in love with. And if that meant spending periods of time apart, then that was what it was. In the end he was worth it.

Absently, Tom found himself palming the small velvet lined box in his pocket. The box he’d carried with him for nearly two months now. Holding the ring he’d found in a small jewelry shop he’d stumbled across on one of his days off filming. He hadn’t gone out with the intention of finding a ring that day, though the idea of asking Caroline to marry him had been on his mind more and more steadily since he left for filming.

Tom couldn’t say what had made him walk into the brightly lit, small shop, but as soon as he walked past the display of handmade rings he’d known. It wasn’t an overly large stone nor an elaborate setting but once he’d seen it, Tom knew how perfectly at home it would look on Caroline’s left hand. So he’d bought it without a second thought and carried it with him ever since, waiting for the perfect time to ask. And now that time was here and a wash of nerves flooded through him. _Over pudding,_ he assured himself. He would ask her over pudding; a cheesecake he’d covered with berries, something Tom knew she loved.

“You alright there?” Caroline’s eyes flashed with the barest hint of confused concern though she was grinning warmly at him. He knew she was taken aback by his distracted behavior; confused but doing her best to not be overly forceful in her tone and in her questioning, trusting that whatever it was he would tell her in time. God, what had he done to deserve such a wonderful person? Sometimes he still couldn’t believe she was still there, by his side. Permanently, he hoped, rubbing his fingers against the box one last time.

“I’m fine,” he reassured her, reaching out to take her hand in his. He squeezed it gently before letting go and pushing his chair back from the table. “Ready for pudding?”

Caroline’s eyes widened in excitement. “Pudding, eh? Going for the big guns.”

“Always.” He waggled his eyebrows at her. With quick precision, he grabbed their used plates and silverware and turned, smiling as her laughter followed him from the dining room into the kitchen. He scraped the remnants of food from the plates into the bin and placed them carefully into the sink; he would worry about the washing up later. He pulled the cheesecake from the refrigerator, took a deep breath, and with a smile plastered on his face, along with two small plates and dessert forks, carried it back to the table. He set it down before her with a flourish “Ta da!” 

“So dramatic,” she chuckled, watching as he cut a slice of the cake and hand it to her. Caroline held the plate under her nose, her eyes fluttering closed as she breathed in the scent. “You really went all out.” She placed the plate down, picking up her fork and cutting a small bite.

Tom cut a slice for himself, smiling and looking up at her. “I wanted tonight to be perfect.”

Caroline froze, fork paused halfway to her mouth, eyes widening slightly as she watched him. Tom offered her another warm smile and pushed himself up from his seat once more. He paused, took a slow, deep breath, and lowered himself onto one knee before her. Her sharp intake of breath as what he was about to do clicked in her mind drowned out the softly playing music and made his heart beat faster in his chest. This was it. This was his moment. _You have this, Hiddleston_.

He reached into his trouser pocket and pulled the small, black box from it, opening it before presenting it to her. “Caroline, I…I had so many things I planned to say. I went over everything I wanted to tell you over and over and over again, determined to make sure it was perfect. But nothing I came up with was right. I wanted to tell you how perfect you are to me. How much I love you and how I want nothing more than to be able to wake up beside you every day for the rest of our lives. I wanted to say the exact right thing so you would know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I meant it with all that I am when I asked you to take the chance and be mine. For as long as we have left on this earth.” Tom paused, his voice catching in his throat as he felt her bright eyes locked unblinking on his. “Caroline, my sweet Caroline, will you do me the immense honor of allowing me to become your husband?”

Tom watched as tears brimmed in Caroline’s eyes and slowly ran down her cheeks. She covered her mouth with her hands. The silence that surrounded them scared him more than he dared let himself think. He waited, heart hammering in his throat, for what felt like hours but was probably no more than the space of a few heartbeats.

Finally, she nodded and the warmth of her laughter flooded through him. “Yes…Yes, I will marry you. Of course I’ll marry you.”

With slow and deliberate care, Tom pulled the ring from its box and slid it home on the fourth finger of her left hand.


End file.
